asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether it is the policy of the Board, all other things being equal, to promote senior clerical officers to the rank of higher clerical officer; whether he will take note of a recent promotion of a junior female clerical officer to this grade; and whether he can give an assurance that in future senior clerical officers qualified by Departmental experience will be selected for vacancies as higher clerical officer?

Promotions in the Board of Education are made in accordance with the principles laid down in paragraphs 6 to 8 of the Report of the Committee on Promotion dated 10th August, 1921. The woman clerical officer who was recently promoted to be higher clerical officer had over 25 years previous service in the Board, 14 years of which was in the grade of clerical officer. The claims of senior clerical officers for promotion will continue to be considered on their merits, as they have been in the past. Where "all other things are equal" seniority is the yardstick, but quite often "all other things are not equal" and in the Civil Service especially it is most important to detect and recognise merit, and I have no doubts about the merit of this particular officer.

Is it not the fact that this appointment has been made despite the large number of ex-service men who, having done their duty in the last war, should receive sympathetic consideration?

The claims of ex-service man are very carefully considered, and I am sure that their claims were not overlooked on this occasion.

Miss Rathbone:

If we are to win the present war, is it not necessary that Government servants should be recruited with regard to efficiency rather than their part in the last war?

But is it not necessary that we should look after the men who served in the last war?

I think we can do both.